The Most Borrowed Books of 2019

What did you read in 2019? If you borrowed books from Shaker Library, these were the top ten books checked out in 2019.

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens was the most checked out book in 2019. A favorite of book clubs, it is the story of a young girl surviving in the marshes of North Carolina. The descriptions of nature are wonderful and the story involves a murder mystery with a twist. The book is the first novel by 70-year-old nature writer Delia Owens. If you haven’t read it yet, put it on your list for 2020.

Michelle Obama’s memoir, Becoming, was number two on the list. The perennial “most-admired woman” recounts her life growing up—from her childhood in Chicago to her years as an executive balancing motherhood and work, to her time at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Becoming is the personal story of a woman of substance and soul, and an inspiration for every woman.

Educated is Tara Westover’s memoir of growing up in a survivalist household and how she managed to get out and get educated as far up the academic food chain as Cambridge and Harvard universities.

Number four on the list, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling proves how engaging the series continues to be and how its popularity crosses over from children to adults.

Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere continues to burn up the most popular lists. Readers will enjoy her story of two families in Shaker Heights and her take on our town. Did the Fire Department really ring a bell to signal the beginning and end of trick-or-treating? Discuss.

One Good Deed by David Baldacci and The Guardians by John Grisham ranked sixth and seventh on the list of popular reads. The two attorneys-turned- authors prove that they know how to create page-turning thrillers.

In Nine Perfect Strangers, Liane Moriarty follows the complicated lives of nine strangers as they embark on a 10-day spa retreat. Could a motivational speaker and a mud pack be the answer to all of life’s problems?

Number nine on the list, The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides, is a psychological thriller about a successful painter who shoots her husband and never speaks again until a psychotherapist tries to break through the silence.

Finally, at the number ten spot is The Great Alone, Kristin Hannah’s story of a family caught in the web of abuse, guilt, shame, and mental illness set against the backdrop of Alaska.

Need suggestions for 2020? Check out our list of forthcoming mystery and fiction and reserve your copies today.